User:Nanci von Skull

Born on September 22,1994, Nanci von Skull is a Mexican-American actress and singer in training. Best known for her coloratura soprano range and ability to reach a high E the equivalent of the last high note in Phantom of the Opera from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera.

 Early Life 

Born in Montebello, California, Skull was raised in a simple environment. However, from early age she showed a desire in the performing arts. From a young age, Skull would prepare mini concerts for family members at random occasions. Despite, her passion for the arts, she was not sent to a music school instead she attended Joseph A. Gascon elementary, where she held academic excellence and was top of the class student for the years attending. Afterward she attended Eastmont Intermediate where Skull began to be more involved in music; however, complications arose. Skull soon found herself stuck in between band and choir, not being able to do both she decided to take choir and also took part in the choir club. While at Eastmont, she got an acceptance into the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts (LACHSA) for the theater department an acceptance she later had to decline due to personal reasons.

High School

After declining an acceptance to LACHSA, Skull had no other choice but to attend Schurr High School in Montebello, California. There, she quickly took part in the choir and at the time musical theater program. She was casted in the role of Ursula Merkle in the school's musical Bye Bye Birdie, a show that later was canceled due to financial situations. As a freshmen, Skull was beginning to make a name for herself in the choir having received a solo for the last two concerts in May 2009 and June 2009 where she sang Two Stars from the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock and Don't Speak by No Doubt respectively. At the time, Skull's range was that of a mezzo soprano.

By Sophomore year, not only was Skull challenging the academic world by taking both honors and AP courses but in the music world as well. By this time, she was in the school's advanced choir; a class mostly filled with upperclassmen who had been in choir for three or four years. However, that didn't intimidate her. By the time the Christmas concert arrived Skull sang an interpretation of What's This? from Tim Burton's animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas and managed to sing it with less than ten breaths. By the time Spring arrived, Skull's range had exceeded that of a mezzo soprano and turned into that of a lyric soprano. In May 2010, Skull performed Green Finch and Linnet Bird from Sweeney Todd, along with Leader of the Pack and the self given solo Phantom of the Opera where she sang the first verse not only in German but as well as two octaves higher than it was originally composed. The ultimate turn point for Skull however was her performance of Defying Gravity from Wicked where she closed the show and received a standing ovation.

By Junior year, Skull's voice kept changing and it was shown that she was ready to begin training to maintain a healthy vibrato and achieve a coloratura range. She managed to sing Der Hölle Rache from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte {The Magic Flute} acappella. It was then shown that Skull had the talent and with proper training she could have an opportunity to receive and audition to attend Juilliard in New York. By this time, Skull returned to the stage and was a main singer and small child in the school's Glam Rock 80's version of A Christmas Carol. For the Christmas Concert she performed A Big Red Christmas Bow where Skull's voice decided to change again days before the concert after a mild case of laryngitis. In the spring semester she was casted as Miss Lynch in the choir's production Grease and as Ma in drama's production of the western comedy Wild Pecos Bill. Skull's last solo of junior year was Candles by Hey Monday where she altered the key to be able to sing a high F# and show off her range.
 * "Candles is a beautiful song, and I dedicated it to someone in the audience during my performance. However, that was one of my biggest mistakes for song selections I have ever done. Chris Colfer and Darren Criss performed an amazing interpretation of the song, but I don't feel the song did me justice."- Nanci von Skull

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